Learn Hardcore German: Wenn die Nachrichtensendung zu ernsthaft wirkt, schauen wir danach eine Serie mit mehr Humor. - If the news program seems too serious, we watch a series with more humor afterwards.

Main clause word order: Die Nachrichtensendung wirkt zu ernsthaft.
With wenn (subordinate clause): Wenn die Nachrichtensendung zu ernsthaft wirkt, …

Why does the second part start with schauen wir and not wir schauen?

When a subordinate clause comes first, it counts as the first “position” in the sentence. In German main clauses, the finite verb must be in second position.

So you have:

Wenn die Nachrichtensendung zu ernsthaft wirkt, schauen wir danach eine Serie mit mehr Humor.

Here:

First position: the entire wenn-clause
Second position: finite verb of the main clause = schauen
Third position: subject = wir

If you drop the wenn-clause, you get a normal main clause word order:

Wir schauen danach eine Serie mit mehr Humor.

What is the difference between wenn and wann, and why is wenn used here?

Wenn and wann both relate to time in English, but they behave differently in German.

wenn
- Used for conditions (“if”) and for repeated / general time (“whenever”).
- Introduces subordinate clauses (verb at the end).
- Example: Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause. – If/whenever it rains, I stay at home.
wann
- Used for questions about a specific time (“when?”).
- Direct question: Wann kommst du? – When are you coming?
- Indirect question: Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt. – I don’t know when he is coming.

In your sentence, the meaning is: If / whenever the news program seems too serious, we watch a series afterwards.
This is a condition / repeated situation, so you must use wenn, not wann.

Why is it wirkt and not ist? What does wirken mean here?

The verb wirken can mean “to have an effect” or “to seem / to come across as”.

Die Nachrichtensendung ist ernsthaft.
= The news program is serious. (describing a factual quality)
Die Nachrichtensendung wirkt ernsthaft.
= The news program seems / comes across as serious. (describing how it appears to you)

In the sentence Wenn die Nachrichtensendung zu ernsthaft wirkt, you are talking about your impression. It might not objectively be too serious, but it feels that way, so wirkt is a natural choice.

What exactly does Nachrichtensendung mean, and why is it one long word?

Nachrichtensendung is a compound noun:

die Nachricht = the news (a piece of information)
die Nachrichtensendung = a news broadcast/program (on TV or radio)

German loves to create long compound nouns instead of using separate words. So instead of “news program”, you get one word: Nachrichtensendung.

Details:

Gender: die Nachrichtensendung (feminine)
Plural: die Nachrichtensendungen
Related word: die Nachrichten often means “the TV news” in everyday speech.

Why is it zu ernsthaft? What is the difference between zu ernsthaft, zu ernst, and sehr ernst?

These expressions are similar but not identical:

zu ernsthaft = too serious (in a rather “earnest, formal” or “overly serious” sense)
zu ernst = too serious (more neutral, can be about mood, tone, face, conversation)
sehr ernst = very serious (but not necessarily “too” much)

Key points:

zu
- adjective/adverb = “too” (more than is good or wanted)
  - zu ernsthaft = more serious than you’d like
sehr
- adjective/adverb = “very” (strong degree, but not automatically “too much”)
  - sehr ernst = very serious, but maybe that’s appropriate

ernst vs ernsthaft:

ernst = serious (mood, tone, style)
ernsthaft = serious/earnest, often with a nuance of genuine or not playful

In context, zu ernsthaft suggests the show is overly earnest, not relaxed or humorous enough for your taste.

Why is danach in the middle of the sentence? Could I say Danach schauen wir eine Serie instead?

Danach is an adverb meaning “after that / afterwards”. Its position is flexible, as long as you respect the verb-second rule in main clauses.

Your sentence:

schauen wir danach eine Serie
Order: verb (1) – subject (2) – adverb (3) – object (4)

You could also say:

Danach schauen wir eine Serie mit mehr Humor.
Here Danach is in first position, so schauen must be in second.
Wir schauen danach eine Serie mit mehr Humor.
Here wir is in first position and schauen in second.

All of these are grammatically correct. The differences are mostly about emphasis:

Starting with Danach emphasizes the sequence in time.
Putting danach after wir is more neutral.

Why is it eine Serie and not something else? Which case is used here?

Eine Serie is in the accusative case because it is the direct object of the verb schauen.

Verb: schauen (to watch)
Who is watching? → wir (subject, nominative)
What are we watching? → eine Serie (object, accusative)

The article eine is the accusative singular form for feminine nouns:

Nominative: eine Serie
Accusative: eine Serie (same form for feminine)
Dative: einer Serie

Since Serie is feminine, nominative and accusative look the same here.

Why does Humor not have an article, even though mit usually takes the dative case?

You’re right that mit always takes the dative, but:

Humor is used here as a mass/abstract noun.
Abstract or mass nouns in German often appear without an article when you mean “some amount of X in general”.

In mit mehr Humor:

mit = preposition, demands dative
mehr = “more”
Humor = dative singular, but without an article

Because there is no article, you don’t see any visible case ending on Humor. The form Humor is the same in nominative, accusative, and dative singular without an article.

Compare:

mit Humor – with humor
mit mehr Humor – with more humor
mit dem Humor dieses Moderators – with this presenter’s humor (here dem shows dative).

Could I say eine lustigere Serie or eine humorvollere Serie instead of eine Serie mit mehr Humor?

Yes, both are possible; they just express the idea slightly differently.

Your original:

eine Serie mit mehr Humor
= a series with more humor (compared to the news)

Alternatives:

eine lustigere Serie
= a funnier series (focus on how funny it is)
eine humorvollere Serie
= a more humorous series (slightly more formal/literary sounding)

All three are grammatically correct. The choice is a matter of style and nuance:

mit mehr Humor feels descriptive and neutral.
lustiger is very common in everyday speech.
humorvoller sounds a bit more refined or “written”.

I often see wenn … dann …. Why is there no dann in the main clause here?

Dann is optional in wenn-sentences that express a condition.

Pattern:

Wenn …, (dann) …

So you could say:

Wenn die Nachrichtensendung zu ernsthaft wirkt, dann schauen wir danach eine Serie mit mehr Humor.

Leaving out dann is very common and completely natural. We often omit it when the sequence and logic are clear from context:

Wenn ich Zeit habe, rufe ich dich an.
(= Wenn ich Zeit habe, dann rufe ich dich an.)

Why is it wirkt and not wirken? How is the verb conjugated here?

The verb form must agree with the subject in person and number.

Subject: die Nachrichtensendung

Even though die often marks plural, here it marks feminine singular.
Die Nachrichtensendung is singular, so the verb is 3rd person singular.

Conjugation of wirken in the present tense:

ich wirke
du wirkst
er / sie / es wirkt
wir wirken
ihr wirkt
sie wirken

So you must say:

Die Nachrichtensendung wirkt zu ernsthaft. ✅
Die Nachrichtensendungen wirken zu ernsthaft. ✅ (plural)

In your sentence, the singular Nachrichtensendung requires wirkt.